The Remember Theory
by VioletX10
Summary: Vincent/Yuffie hints at Cloud/Tifa and Cid/Shera. These letters were the only things that linked her to the life she once led. Are they still waiting for her? R&R.


**The Remember Theory**

_Violet X10_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the characters._

* * *

><p><em>August 8 1996<em>

_Dear Yuffie,_

_I heard what happened yesterday. Everyone rushed to the hospital to visit you, to see you, to know if you were alright. I guess not. When we arrived, you were as good as dead. "Years," the doctor said. I don't even know what that meant, to be honest. My mind was too focused on how you were faring in your deep sleep. I wondered: Is she going to make it? Are you going to live? I felt stupid, you know. You're The Great Ninja Yuffie, for Jenova's sake! Why should anyone doubt you? _

_I'm sorry for being a shit friend to you. I should've been there. I should've stayed with you! None of this would've happened if…if I…never mind. I'm just making it worse for me and for you if I blame myself. God, I feel so selfish right now. I don't know what to think. My mind's in a tangled mess that I can't figure out the solution – the way out – anymore. It was only a couple of minutes ago I decided to write this letter so that when you wake up, you could read it and find out everything you've missed. Not much has happened today except the news arrived on the television about you and the accident. Godo was furious and sent Staniv, Chekov and Gorki to pay for your stay at the hospital. No matter how much you hate your father, he will always love you back, Yuffie. _

_In Seventh Heaven, I think I have to buy more glasses because every single one shattered on the shelf upon hearing the ill news. Cid cursed like I've ever heard him swear before. Heck, even I haven't heard Cloud shout such profanities in my lifetime. You've really made an impact on us, Yuffie. Don't listen to whatever we call or say to you. Ignore Cid's remarks about you being a brat. I mean, three years ago when we first met you, Cid confessed that he was sterile and couldn't impregnate Shera. They were both gutted. He only calls you a brat because I guess you're the closest person he has as a daughter. I consider you a sister and I'm an unworthy best friend. When Aerith died, we were both there for each other to lean on. I think that's when we started to depend on each other a lot more. So I've got to be strong for you and for me. I _will _be strong. _

_And on your birthday, I remember you confessing your feelings for that red-cloaked gunslinger. You're probably wondering his reaction when he found out. He may not admit it but he was gravely upset. He wouldn't look at anyone. His eyes were focused on his glass. If so much sadness could radiate from one place, it would be in Seventh Heaven – particularly sourcing from Vincent. He cares for you much more than me, Cloud and Cid put together. So please, Yuffie, don't let yourself become another one of his sins. _

_Keep holding on, Yuffs. We'll be waiting for you right here. At home. _

_Love, _

_Tifa, Cloud, Vincent, Cid, Barett, Reeve, Marlene, Denzel, Shelke, Shera. _

* * *

><p>The ebony-haired girl stared at the paper in silence. She could hear the honking of the cars outside, disturbing the serene atmosphere of her pleasant apartment in Midgar. It was the year 2002 and almost a month after she awoke from her 6-year-long coma. She was pretty much a grown-up now, just short of 25 years. She was still thin with pale skin, wide silver eyes and medium-length black hair but often she would come home and her breath would stink of alcohol. She would stagger into her bedroom with her vision blurred and she would pick the letters up from the table and cry over the words.<p>

Because she didn't know who they were from. And she felt guilty for not remembering. She felt she _should_ know who these people were. 'Tifa' said that they were all waiting for her somewhere. But where? She had heard rumors of a bar named Seventh Heaven that had been demolished three years ago. Had these mystery people grown tired of waiting? Yuffie sighed and buried her face in her arms.

She remembered the first words she heard when you woke up. Her eyes had been sore from adjusting to too much brightness. Yet in the midst of her blindness, she heard a deep masculine voice calling to her.

* * *

><p><em>"Miss Kisaragi! You have finally woken," he said. The room was too white, smelled too much of science. Faint traces of sweet-scented perfume wafted up her nose and she swore she smelt gunpowder <em>somewhere_. "I need to ask you some questions."_

_Yuffie turned to him, grey eyes widening at the sight of his very being. "What are you doing here?" _

_The doctor sighed. "I'm a doctor working in this hospital and you've been assigned as my patient." _

_Yuffie snorted. "No shit, Sherlock. I meant what are you doing here – alone – with me?"_

_"You've just woken up from a 6 year coma, Miss Kisaragi."_

_The words hit her like a million daggers to her heart. "W-what?" _

_"What happened? Well, the previous doctor had it written here that you were drunk at a party and drank 15 Units. Noticing how stoned you were, the host decided to drive you home but you and him were involved in a car accident on the highway. You should have died from that blow, Miss Kisaragi. Your partner certainly did."_

_Yuffie was silent. How could…? _

_"May I ask you some questions?"_

_She could only nod._

_"Do you know your forename?"_

_"…Y-Yuffie…"_

_"Your age?"_

_"19."_

_"That was when you were hit. It's 2002 so therefore you are 25 years old."_

_25…Holy Leviathan's Shit. _

_"Do you know anyone who can take you in?"_

_Yuffie struggled for that one. There was a name – several names – that came into mind but their faces were hidden from her mind's eye. She shook her head._

_"Unfortunately, your father died a month ago of old age and no-one has come to collect you. The tenants of Seventh Heaven have moved someplace else so we aren't certain of where to place you after this."_

_She was losing hope…_

_"But I have here some letters written by a close friend of yours, I presume.":_

_He handed her what remained to be her only link to the life she once led. _

* * *

><p>She started a new life on her own. The doctor assisted her on locating the details to her bank account and she discovered she had a fortune stored in it. The money was spent on a cheap apartment in Midgar and for a while, the doctor came to check up on her condition but lately he hasn't been to see her. She lived a life of solitude and obscurity. Only recently had she uncovered the mystery behind her fortune. She had once been a princess – of Wutai, now a nation with extinct traditions. <em>My father was the…Lord of Wutai. I was…their Princess.<em>

Day by day she would pick up the letters on her desk and read through them thoroughly. She noted the slanted, cursive calligraphy of 'Tifa' and the scrawls of a man named 'Cid', the childish handwriting of a girl named 'Marlene', the rough scratches from 'Cloud', and the faint masculine lettering of a guy named 'Vincent'. His letter was soaked in some places, making his words harder for Yuffie to decipher. _He must've been crying when he wrote this. Poor guy… This one's pretty recent., though. Dated January 2000._

She wanted to remember these people who claimed in writing that they were close to her heart. In the back of her mind she saw brown hair, blue eyes, blond spikes, cigarettes, pink ribbons, vermillion eyes… "DAMN IT, WHY CAN'T I JUST _REMEMBER_?!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. She clawed at her scalp, tearing at her hair furiously. "I want to know these people… I _need_ to know these people! Why can't I fucking remember them?!" She thrashed on her bed, letting out loud cries, her tears streaming down her porcelain face like waterfalls. "WHO THE FUCK ARE TIFA…CID, CLOUD, _VINCENT_?" _The man who loved me – he even said so! _But can you trust paper? Can you trust anything?

"I want to die…" she whispered solemnly into her pillow. "I want to die."

* * *

><p><em>November 20 1996<em>

_To Yuffie,_

_Happy Birthday, I guess… Well, uh, it's been a while now, ain't it? Uh…come on, brat, jus'…jus' wake up, will ya? We're tired of waiting in the bar day after day after day after day after day – OK I'm gettin' bored. I realized I can write anything on this. I can say, "Damn, girl just wake up" but I know that's not what I would want to put on this letter. Man, I sound like a wuss doing this. Uh…anyways, well, ah, we miss you, Yuffs. Yer the daughter I never had…never _will_ have, fer that matter. Sorry I've been a bastard of a dad to you all these years. I guess even if we _could_ have a child, I would never be prepared for it. Jus' look at you, Yuffs. All grown-up and we might…never see you again. Oh alright, you can cuss your old man once you wake up. This letter is a sap fest anyway._

_Shera and I are planning on adopting a kid instead but we both agreed that as soon as you wake up, we'll need your confirmation on getting one. I mean, y' know, don't wanna get you jealous and all about a kid. So wake up soon, get that, brat? We don't wanna be waiting fer-ever._

_Vince keeps on visiting you every day. I told ya that guy is a sucker fer you. You jus' never believe me. The last time I visited ya, all I could smell was fuckin' gunpowder. Heck, I thought my cigarettes were strong enough to snuff that stink out. Vampy-boy loves ya way too much, ya see. _

_Not much has actually happened since yer accident. Yer so stupid sometimes, ya know? 15 fuckin' Units all in one night! 15! Damn it all, Yuffs, even Barret doesn't drink that much! Though…I gotta hand it to ya…that bastard of a man got killed instead of you. I'm tellin' ya, brat, Aerith has a favoritism fer you. Didja know that guy tried to rape you? I puked on the Highwind when it came on in the news. Heh, this time it was my own mess I had to clean up. Damn stomach… Damn you…_

_If you could see us right now, Yuffs, you would be disgusted. I can almost 'ear you say, "Get yer asses off yer freakin' seats and move! I ain't dead so damn you for thinkin' that!" I know I shouldn't feel proud of this but I'm proud to have given you the gift of profanities, dear Yuffie. _

_Tifa's been a wreck since…you know. She won't stop cryin' and shit. Cloud can't freakin' mosey around her either. They're like, "Oh, Cloud! I miss her!" this and, "I know, Tifa. Don't worry" that. Some days, it's kinda humorous to watch them argue with each other. Destined lovers, you might say. Always have been. _

_Marlene's doing well in school. Denzel is with Shelke in the garden right now. Playin' Scrabble. Remember when we used ta play poker at night? You'd always win first, Yuffs and then Vamps comes after, then me then Tifa then Cloud then Barret. That guy's always yappin' about losing to Cloud of all people. You used ta say: "Whoever loses to Cloud is a bigger loser than the massive loser ass he already has." That still doesn't make sense to me. Probably never will. You were a strange one, ya know?_

_I gotta go now. Visiting hours are over. Wish I could stay and all but duty calls and Shera's worrying. _

_Yuffs, promise me. When you read this, never forget me. Us. AVALANCHE. We've had some rough times. But we got through 'em like cake. I'll miss yer Materia shit and the kleptomania. I've always known yer a strong 'un. Keep being strong, OK? Fer me, Tifa, Vince and the others. Jus' make sure when you wake up, I'm still alive. This old body of mine ain't gonna last fer-ever. Never mind that shit about not waiting fer-ever actually. Everyone'll be right here. And we're gonna stay, ya hear that?_

_From,_

_Cid and the others. Can't be bothered to write their names. You know them anyways. _

* * *

><p>Cid…he'd been a father-figure to her. Did he and 'Shera' already adopt a kid without her? And why would she be jealous of people who promised to be there for her when she came to but were never there? Who the hell was AVALANCHE? Had she been a part of it?<p>

"I hate myself. I want to die. I want to die," Yuffie murmured absent-mindedly. Her sanity was slowly slipping away. "How are they doing this to me? I don't know them and they're killing me." She glanced at the first line of Marlene's letter. "I am The Great Ninja Yuffie…"

* * *

><p><em>Vincent woke up groggily, the shrieking of the engine perturbed his thoughts. He tried to straighten himself but a sharp pain in his abdomen caused him to grunt silently in pain. He glanced to his right and was met by a figure dressed in a rag cloak.<em>

_"Morning," the figure waved a single arm at him._

_"Where... Who are you?" he asked, confused._

_"Well, I'm glad you asked." The cloaked figure stood up dramatically, he or she heroically posing. He was now pretty sure that the stranger was a woman because no man could ever acquire such beautiful legs._ _"I am the champion of the earth and the sky. I am the conqueror of evil. The single white rose of Wutai."_

_He watched her, mesmerized, as she pulled off her cloak in one swift move. Her familiar features struck him in the face as he recognized his comrade._

_"Yuffie Kisaragi!"_

She wondered…did 'Vincent' still love her? Is he…still waiting for her?

Yuffie glared at the door in front of her. She could go and find out herself if he was still there. She didn't have to laze around in her cheap, rundown apartment, waiting for a miracle to happen. If she wanted to find these people, she had to stop crying, get herself together and act. Because if you had a dream, you don't wait. You had to act. One of life's little rules.

* * *

><p><em>February 28 1997<em>

_To The Great Ninja Yuffie!_

_I miss you a lot, Auntie Yuffie. Denzel's been paying less attention to me ever since Shelke came to stay with us. I used to have a crush on him but now there's this boy in my class named Jace and I think he likes me and I like him back. Tifa says you're gonna be in hospital for a while so I hope you get better, Auntie Yuffie! You're the bestest ninja out there! _

_Guess what! This morning, Cloud knocked on Tifa's door and gave her some flowers! I can tell you what they were! They were pink roses, red carnations and some purple hyacinths. I've been reading on some flower books that Tifa gave me last Christmas. But that isn't the best bit! Cloud and Tifa kissed! There wasn't even a mistletoe as well. You were right, Auntie Yuffie. They're in love! _

_Uncle Vincent loves you too, I bet. In the same way Cloud loves Tifa. He doesn't admit it but I heard him talk in his sleep once. He said your name, Auntie! He _must_ have meant that he loves you! Uncle Vinnie doesn't talk much anymore. Please come back and make him talk! The house needs a bright sunny ninja to get rid of the sad atmosfear. _

_Uncle Cid and Auntie Shera are worried about you as well. Uncle Cid keeps on laughing whenever we mention your name to him but I can tell that he's breaking down inside. I wonder how long he'll last pretending that everything's OK when it's not. He drinks more often with Uncle Vincent as well. _

_Daddy gave me a Moogle toy like Katie's, my classmate. Her brother died from Geostigma. It's lucky that Denzel didn't get taken away. The flower girl must really love us very much. You, especially. You were supposed to be killed in the accident but she saved you! We're very greatfull to her. _

_Tifa says that I have to improve my spelling better but I'm trying my hardest. English isn't my best subject at school. Denzel is a pro at it, though. Tifa also said that you would appreshiate my letter very much so I wrote one to you. Promise me you'll come back soon, OK? You'll always be the bestest Auntie ever!_

_Love,_

_Marlene Wallace _

* * *

><p>Yuffie paced the room impatiently. She was either going to go out or not.<p>

She chose yes.

* * *

><p><em>July 12 1997<em>

_Yuffie,_

_Please wake up soon. I just received some mail that Seventh Heaven is being demolished in two years. Reeve told us this is advance so that we have time to prepare everything and to wait for you a little longer. We don't know where we'll be staying but remember: we're always waiting._

_Love, _

_Tifa._

* * *

><p><em>September 9 1998<em>

_Yuffs,_

_I'm really sorry that I haven't written to you in over a year. We've just been really busy with plans for a future home and we haven't had time to come and see you as much. Vincent still goes regularly, bless him. The doctor says that you needed to be transferred to another hospital to let other patients receive treatment but Godo refused vehemently. He's already paid half of his money to keep you alive, Yuffs. Vincent's also paid a lot of money to keep you I check. Please don't let it all go to waste. I'll be writing soon, never give up!_

_Love,_

_Tifa _

* * *

><p>Midgar had always been a busy city. Since the Geostigma incident, it's been busier than ever. Builders worked continuously on ruins, businessmen walked past her with their eyes glued to the screen of hisher cell phone, merchants called wildly to attract customers… Yuffie thought if she heard anymore of this, her head would burst. Literally.

She passed by shops which sold out-of-date fashion, rusted weapons, dim-glowing Materia and expired sweets. Pulling a face at the scowling cashier behind the Materia store, she felt like a kid again. 25 isn't that old but still…

"Would you like anything, young lady?" a smooth voice inquired her.

Yuffie spun brusquely around to face the man behind the counter of the café. She hadn't noticed she'd been standing in the same place for a while. Cheeks flushing, she quickly answered. "Well, uh, could I have some hot chocolate please?"

The man nodded and pressed some buttons on the gil register. He then turned away to make her request. She didn't have to wait long before he handed her the drink and the change. "Thanks, dude," she said and stalked towards an empty table that overlooked the fountain. Everything in Midgar was grey and drab and ashen. Even her neon colors weren't enough to brighten anything up.

She blew over the hot chocolate slowly. She had time.

* * *

><p><em>December 25 1998<em>

_Dear Yuffie,_

_Hey, it's Cloud. Just to say that Christmas isn't Christmas without you. The kids are happy, though. They get presents while we're stuck here worrying about you. I'm going to have to keep this short because Tifa's asking me to clean up the bar with her. I wanted to tell you that I proposed to her in October and we're getting married next year in March. I hope you'll be able to attend it. Tifa's reserving the Maid of Honor role for you. Um, I just wanted to also say thank you for pushing me to get his far with her. Without you, I'd still be mulling over Aerith's death and all sorts. Vincent's still here, by the way. I think this is the longest he's ever stayed. And it's because of you. _

_Yuffie. It's been 2 years now. How much further are you going to drag this on? We miss you like hell, don't you get it? Vincent's going to commit suicide any minute now; Cid's going to drown himself in alcohol; Tifa's going to die of stress; I'm going to die if Tifa dies; Reeve is going to die of stress too. By the time you come to your senses, everyone would be dead. But that won't stop us from being patient. You were never the patient one. You called me "Chocobo-head", "Spiky-Ass", and even as random as "John Keats". For your information, I don't relate to John Keats one single bit. I like his prose but that's no reason to nickname me as him._

_Hmm…this turned out longer than I intended. Tifa's going to be fuming now. I've got to go, Yuffie. Steal our Materia again, please? Anything to tell us you're alive apart from the monotonous beeping of the monitor. I bet that thing is false. But I don't want to believe it is. Good luck, Yuffs. Don't fail us!_

_From,_

_Cloud. _

* * *

><p>"Yuffie Kisaragi?"<p>

Her head shot up at the sound of her name. In front of her was a man in his forties. He had a black goatee and an aged face. He seemed familiar…

"Oh God is it really you, Yuffie?" he asked. She caught his name imprinted on his lanyard.

Reeve Tuesti.

Where had she heard that name before…?

"Yuffie?"

"Reeve?" she finally found her voice. "Reeve." She gasped as the memories surged through her. "Reeve! Oh Leviathan's shit it's Reeve!" She covered her mouth with her hands, tears brimming in her eyes.

"I see you haven't aged a day," said Reeve, equally delighted.

"How…how did you find me?"

He was the WRO leader. A close friend. A traitor. Family.

"I'm here on business with Rufus ShinRa," Reeve replied, sipping at his coffee. "I happened to glance to my left and see a woman who looked exactly like an employee I had six years ago. I walked in and now I'm here. I'm so glad you've come back, Yuffie."

She nodded, her mind someplace else. ShinRa had affected her in a way. "Didn't the hospital inform you that I'd been discharged?"

Reeve shook his head. "No. However on my last check-up on the hospital, I found that your recent doctor had been a fraud. He was working for an anti-AVALANCHE group back in 1996. They've been trying to get to you once they found out you were vulnerable. All group activities have been stopped now. You're safe."

_So that's why he stopped coming after a while. Why didn't he just end my life then and there? He had a million chances to get me!_

"…Do you know where the others are?" her voice was barely audible. Fortunately, Reeve caught it.

"Yes, I do. They're residing in a shack that Tifa and Cloud bought in Costa Del Sol. All of them, I've heard, are still waiting." He smiled softly at her.

"They're still waiting…" she breathed, dumbfounded. "After all these years…"

* * *

><p><em>April 24 1999<em>

_Dearest Yuffie,_

_Words cannot completely explain how distraught I am feeling at this moment. In two months' time we will be moving to an unknown location. This will be our last letter to you._

_I admit you had us in quite a shocked state when the news was announced that you had been hit by a truck in the middle of the highway in the middle of the night, drunk, stoned, wasted whatever you call it. I admit I was disappointed in you for letting yourself be driven away by that man but I understand you were not in the right mind to know what you were doing. I also admit that I was deeply upset and moved when the doctor informed us that you had entered a coma. Perhaps that was the time I finally realized what I truly thought about you. Perhaps it was the image of you bloodied after the accident that convinced everyone of what you truly meant to us. _

_The optimist, the brat, the bestest Auntie in the world…that's what you are to us. We will forever hold you in our hearts, cherish the moments we spent with you – in battle, in soul, in love. _

_I don't love you in that way, Yuffie. I just care about your wellbeing a lot. My heart is still stuck with Lucrecia and time and again, I foolishly have to use Shelke as a means of communication to her. I am unworthy of you, you see. You are bright, young, aspiring. I am dull, old, and worn. I've had my fair share of life although I have slept through more or less 30 years of it. You deserve happiness from someone else. I am sorry if I indicated in any way that I liked you more than a friend. Forgive me. _

_I have got ten minutes until visiting hours are over. I will come and see you again tomorrow, no matter what. Yuffie, do not think that I am being obliged to take care of you. As well as repaying my debt to you saving my life back at the mansion, I want to thank you for everything else that you've done to all of us. Aside from the fact that Sephiroth was on the loose the day I was recruited into AVALANCHE, it was your annoying persuasion that I joined in. I thought you were an interesting companion and I hope this won't be the last time we see of you. _

_Cid and Shera are still waiting for you to wake. Open your eyes, Yuffie, and see the world changing around you. They have kept their promise with an admirable amount of patience. However, Shera is having doubts that you'll ever return. Cid is certain that you will come back in due time. I hope for the best as well. _

_Tifa is getting better each day. Cloud comforts her 24/7 and she's slowly relaxing around the bar. She still worries frequently about you but not as much as the first two years. Their wedding had been spectacular. The Maid of Honor had been Shelke. I can say that she has grown to look like her rightful age. Denzel would be "bummed" if he was seen in public with a girl much older than him. It was only yesterday that Tifa announced that she was pregnant with Cloud's child. _

_Marlene won the Spelling Bee yesterday as well. Her English has improved greatly over the course of the year. She still thinks you are the "bestest Auntie in the world". _

_Reeve has been working day and night to ensure that you are getting the best of the best treatments possible. I do wish he would relax once in a while._

_As for me, I am still here in case you return. Wherever we might relocate to in July, we'll still be in one place so that when you come home at last, it will be as a family. _

_From,_

_Vincent Valentine. _

* * *

><p>Reeve knocked on the door five times. Two minutes later, the door was pried open by none other than Tifa Lockhart. "Hi, Reeve!" she greeted him cheerily. "It's quite rare that you come here. Is something wrong?"<p>

The ex-barmaid opened the door wider, revealing a two-year-old boy standing just behind her, holding a fistful of her green summer dress.

"Good afternoon, Tifa," said Reeve. "I have some great news."

* * *

><p><em>January 23 2000<em>

_Yuffie,_

_Tifa's child has just been born. He is a boy and they named him Zack after Cloud's deceased friend. I think it is a highly appropriate name as little Zack has cerulean blue eyes like his father and dark hair like his mother, much like how the original Zack had looked like. _

_Everyone's been drinking as a celebration for the occasion. Marlene and Denzel are upstairs, playing Monopoly. Shelke turned into a party animal ever since the wedding. I don't think I can approach her without feeling uncomfortable and awkward. Her behavior reminds me of you nowadays. It pains me every time she speaks, walks and or eats like you. It just does._

_I've come to realize that I love you, Yuffie Kisaragi. With all my heart, my soul, my body. Every star in the sky knows that I love you. Perhaps it's your smile that melts the soul, your physique that sends shivers down my body, or just you that makes my heart sing at the thought of you. It might be all of the above or none. All I know is that in my last letter, I lied. I have thought of you as more than a friend in more than one occasion. I love you. I truly do. _

_Perhaps now you have something to open your eyes for. Wake up, dear Yuffie. I am waiting._

_Love,_

_Vincent Valentine._

* * *

><p>When she walked into the room, her eyes were transfixed on his red orbs. She remembered him: long silk black hair, tall, handsome, pale… She remembered him. All of him. He was no longer wearing his tattered velvet cloak – he was dressed casually for a change. She smiled as she noticed he was staring at her with his mouth agape and red eyes bulged.<p>

As she stepped into the room, she was greeted with the people she wanted to know. She was _going to get to know_. Piece by piece, she was going to rebuild what had been lost of her past. She'll make up to the six years she missed. It wasn't as long as Vincent's 30 years but it felt refreshing to know that someone will help her recover. Many people will help her recover.

Tifa – she met her at last. The woman was beautiful, her long dark hair gliding past her waist, fair skin, wine-red eyes. Beside her was who she deduced as her husband Cloud Strife. Again, fair skin, blond spikes, tall, _glowing blue eyes. _On his lap was his son who was the spitting image of Zack Fair although his eyes weren't as shiny as his father's.

Marlene held hands with Denzel, smiling up at her. She was her flower girl, her soul held a shard of Aerith's soul within her. Her radiant beam reminded her so much of another one's gentle smile. Brown hair, viridian eyes, pink ribbons… Her face was still blurry and misted but it was there and she knew she would find her once more.

Her "old man" came downstairs, wondering what the ruckus was. (Tifa had screamed upon her entry and Barret had cursed loudly. Marlene was already grown-up to hear such rude words). When his aged blue eyes fell upon his "daughter", he bit back a yell. "Yuffs?"

"Are you…Cid?" she said, not quite certain it was him yet.

It only took him a nod to send Yuffie bolting towards him, thin arms wide open. "You're so old Jesus signed your yearbook, you ugly old fart!" she sobbed as Cid hugged her back, the wind having been knocked out of him as soon as her small head crashed into his chest.

"I missed ya too, brat," he grinned, patting her head. "So…whaddya think of an adoption? Yer reply is six years late, ya know."

Tears pricked in her eyes. He had waited for her consent… _They had all waited for her_. "Yes…Yes!" she nodded continuously. "That's probably the smartest thing you said in your whole life, old man!"

Cid smirked. "You sayin' I'm stupid? I didn't drink no 15 Units in one night!"

Yuffie stayed silent. It was true. _I'm way more stupid than him…_

"Well? Are ya gonna hug Vampy-boy in the corner yet?"

She snapped back into reality. And smiled so wide her face could split into two. "You betcha, Cidney!" He glared at the use of his full name but let it pass. She was home and that was enough of an excuse.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Updated. :) Review Please?**_


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